Bag or sack-like packaging

ABSTRACT

The present invention refers to a bag or sack-like packaging, made of polymer material, idealized for packing, transporting and handling of solid powered and/or bulk materials, and provided with a detachable cover which, besides providing safety and guaranteeing the resistance required for transporting and handling the loaded packaging, also enables the opening of the packaging by detachment of the cover, without making cuts or tears, so that the packaging can be reused.

The present invention refers to a bag or sack-like packaging,particularly made of polymer material, idealized for packing,transporting and handling of solid powered and/or bulk materials, andprovided with a detachable cover that enables the opening of thepackaging for reuse thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF THE ART

The bag or sack-like packaging made of polymer material has been knownfor many decades and widely used for wrapping various products,particularly solid powered and/or bulk materials such as soil,fertilizers, grains, sugar, coffee, flour, animal feed, PVC compounds,cement, among many others.

As a rule, the bags or sack are composed of polymer materials havinglow-density polypropylene, polyethylene and additives as base, althoughother materials are also used. The material for manufacturing this typeof sack is called raffia and comprises flat strands produced byextrusion, employed in the production of polymer fabrics.

The raffia packaging is comprised of various flat strands, a fewmillimeters in width, manufactured by means of an extrusion process of apolymer such as, for example, polypropylene or polyethylene, or otherfibers or fiber mixtures. These raffia strands are driven, pulled androlled into cores and then woven, resulting in a polymer fabric. Thesefabrics are usually divided into flat fabrics and tubular fabrics.

Besides providing safety and guaranteeing the integrity of the products,the main attraction of this raffia packaging is its reuse, that is,after being used, the packaging does not generate trash, beingre-utilized for other purposes such as, for example, bagging supplies,discarding rubble at construction works and other applications.

More resistant and inviolable, the raffia guarantees effectiveprotection against humidity, dirt and the action of rodents, importantcharacteristic for storing foods. Another positive aspect is the economyprovided by the material, both with the reduction of losses duringtransport, and with the possibility of recycling, which makes raffiaeven more sustainable, as its environmental impact is lower.

The bags are divided by the type of closure, and can be sewed orsoldered, and may contain an upper or lower valve which serves as theplace for filling the bag. Usually, access to the bagged product, at thepoint of consumption, is by cutting the body or bag cover, since thefilling valve enables the product to be wrapped thereby, but whichcannot be withdrawn from the packaging by the valve.

The state of the art for bags or raffia sacks seek to present solutionsin the sense of providing support and reinforcement, particularly in theclosure portions of the bags, demonstrating the need to developtechnologies capable of providing efficient closure of these bags.

German document DE202009007915 and Brazilian document PI9507701-4disclose materials and methods for closing packaging, be it packagingmade of paper or polymer material, providing the reinforcement andresistance required to maintain the integrity of the packaging in thetransport and handling of heavy loads.

Besides the need for efficient closure of the raffia bags, solutions arefound in the state of the art solutions for easy-opening of these bags,particularly for opening at the time of using the bagged product.

Chinese document CN2095841 and document WO2013/123015 present solutionsfor opening packaging, both made of paper and of polymer material,disclosing folds or cutting lines capable of promoting the opening ofbags for using the products. It is noted that both the use of easy-openfolds and the use of weakening lines for easy cut of the bags or sacksinvariably result in more fragile packaging, that is, more prone tobeing violated, since it presents less resistance at the opening points.

So in light of the need for reinforced closure and the possibility ofopening the bags, a bag or sack-like packaging has been developed, madeof polymer material, and provided with a detachable cover which besidesproviding safety and guarantee of resistance required for transportingand handling the loaded packaging, also enables the opening of thepackaging for reuse thereof.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

A first objective of the present invention is to promote a bag orsack-like packaging that is made of polymer material and is providedwith a detachable cover that enables the opening of the packaging bydetaching the cover, providing safety and guaranteeing the resistancerequired for transporting and handling the loaded packaging, enablingthe opening of the packaging for reuse thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The objectives of the present invention are achieved by a bag orsack-like packaging, particularly idealized for packing, transportingand handling of solid powered and/or bulk materials, provided with abody composed of a polymer material, defining a first end portion and asecond end portion opposite the first end portion, at least one of theend portions comprising a detachable cover for opening the packaging.

The objectives of the present invention are also achieved by a bag orsack-like packaging, particularly idealized for packing, transportingand handling of solid powered and/or bulk materials, provided with abody composed of a polymer material, defining: (i) a first end portionwhich forms a first surface; and (ii) a second end portion opposite thefirst end portion, which forms a second surface; the packagingcomprising at least one substantially flat detachable cover defining athird surface, the detachable cover being associated to at least one ofthe end portions by contacting the third surface with the first and/orsecond surfaces for opening the packaging.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described in greater detail based on asample execution represented in the drawings. The drawings show:

FIG. 1—representation of the bag or sack-like packaging of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2—representation of the second end portion of the packaging closedwith the detachable cover of the present invention;

FIG. 3—representation of the second end portion of the packaging openwith the detachable cover fully detached;

FIG. 4—representation of the second end portion of the packaging with adetachable cover partially detached;

FIG. 5—a top view of the second end portion of the packaging with adetachable cover partially detached;

FIG. 6—a top view of the second end portion of the packaging fully open;and

FIG. 7—representation of the packaging open with the detachable coverfully detached.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention refers to a bag or sack-like packaging 1,idealized for packing, transporting and handling various products,particularly solid powered and/or bulk materials such as soil,fertilizers, grains, sugar, coffee, flour, animal feed, PVC compounds,cement, among many others.

Initially, it is important to note that the packaging 1 of the presentinvention is, preferably, a bag or sack composed of a polymer material,such as polypropylene, polyethylene and derivatives thereof such asraffia, without limiting the use of other materials.

The packaging 1 of the present invention comprises, preferably, closureby an adhesive means, such as glue or solder, and a valve that acts as aportion for filling the bag. In an alternative arrangement, thepackaging 1 comprises closure by an adhesive means without the presenceof the filling valve 6.

To-date, raffia sacks, presenting a valve or not, have not been providedwith a detachable cover 5 that besides providing the reinforcement andresistance required for the safe transport and handling of the sackswhen loaded, also enables the opening of the sack by detachment of thecover 5, without making cuts or tears, without the main objective ofreusing the sack.

Accordingly, various studies were carried out to develop a packaging 1which, concomitantly, provided major reinforcement and resistance infixing the detachable cover 5 so as to guarantee the integrity of thepackaging 1 even with heavy loads, over 40 kg, or 50 kg, or 60 kg, or100 kg, or 200 kg and enabled the detachment of the cover promoting theopening of the packaging 1 for filling and reuse thereof.

The major innovative differentiating factor of the present inventiondoes not lie in the body or the type of material used for the packaging1 itself, but rather in the grammage and density of the detachable cover5 and in the way it is fixed to the body, which enables said resistanceand detachment possibility.

The bag or sack-like packaging 1 that is the object of the presentinvention is provided with a body 2 comprised of a polymer material,preferably, of a polymer fabric, such as raffia made of polypropylene orpolyethylene. Even if the raffia is the preferred material, it ispossible to conceive a packaging 1 in accordance with the scope ofprotection comprising a material composed of any other type of fiber, oralso a mixture of fibers. Further, the packaging 1 can be composed of anon-fabric type material composed of any type or mixture of fibers.Moreover, the material can be composed not only of fibers, but bypolymer films, such as polyethylene films, so that the scope ofprotection of the invention is not limited by the material that makes upthe packaging 1.

The body 2 of the packaging 1 comprises a first end portion 3 that formsa first surface 3′ and a second end portion 4, opposite the first endportion 3, that forms a second surface 4′, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

Preferably, the first end portion 3 corresponds to the entry or fillingportion of the packaging 1, in which there may or may not be provided afilling valve 6, and the second end portion 4 corresponds and should beinterpreted as the bottom portion and/or adjacent portions of thepackaging 1.

The packaging 1 further comprises a substantially flat detachable cover5 that defines a third surface 5′, the detachable cover 5 beingassociated to at least one of the end portions 3, 4 by means of contactbetween the third surface 5′ and the second and/or third surfaces 3′,4′, the opening of at least one of the end portions 3, 4 being possibleby detaching the cover 5. FIG. 3 illustrates the third surface 5′ andthe second surface 4′, with the detachable cover 5 already withdrawnfrom the packaging.

Preferably, but not compulsorily, the detachable cover 5 comprises asubstantially rectangular portion, preferably composed of the samematerial as the body 2. In an alternative arrangement, the detachablecover 5 is composed of a polymer material different to the compositionmaterial of the body 2. Further, the detachable cover 5 comprisesdifferent grammage and density to the body 2. It is possible that thepresent invention would work with any grammage (lower, equal or higher)than that of the body 2. In any case, the preferred arrangement usesgrammages of the detachable cover 5 higher than those of the body 2. Thesame reasoning applies to the density of the detachable cover 5 comparedto the body 2.

The detachable cover 5 is associated to at least one of the end portions3, 4 by an adhesive means, of the solder or glue type, and extends alongthe entire closing fold of the end portions 3, 4, varying in accordancewith the fold length of the packaging 1.

Preferably, the detachable cover 5 comprises at least a greater size (inwidth or in length or in both) than the size of the end portions 3, 4,defining, for example, a projection on one or more sides of thedetachable cover 5, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the objectiveof facilitating the detachment thereof. In an alternative arrangement,the detachable cover 5 comprises the same size as the end portions 3, 4without defining a side, upper or lower projection.

The detachable cover 5 of the present invention is associated to thefirst end portion 3 and/or to the second end portion 4, according to thetype of sack.

As explained previously, the sacks found on the market may or may notcomprise a filling valve 6, which facilitates the filling process of theproducts.

For sacks that are not provided with filling valve 6 and whose closureoccurs after filling, said sacks comprise an opened first end portion 3,the detachable cover 5 will be associated to the second end portion 4.

For valved sacks (that are provided with filling valve 6), whether thefilling valve 6 is provided at the first end portion 3 or at the secondend portion 4, the detachable cover 5 will be associated to at least oneof the end portions 3, 4, such that the packaging 1 comprises thedetachable cover 5 provided at the first end portion 3 and/or at thesecond end portion 4. In other words, the detachable cover 5 can bedisposed at the end of the valve or at the end opposite the endcontaining the valve.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate how to detach the detachable cover 5. It isnoted that the detachable cover 5 is easily withdrawn by an operator,without the need for making cuts in the packaging, simply pulling thedetachable cover 5, which peels off with a certain ease without damagingthe packaging 1.

FIG. 6 represents the second end portion 4 fully open, whereas FIG. 7illustrates the packaging, in a vertical position, supported on thefirst end portion 3 with the second end portion 4 open and detachablecover 5 already withdrawn, the packaging being ready for filling andreuse for filling supplies, filling rubble at construction works andother purposes.

The packaging 1 that is the object of the present invention comprisesthe body 2 made of a tubular polymer fabric having grammage over 48 g.The grammage of the body 2, after lamination of the fabric tubular,varies between 50 g and 150 g, preferably between 40 g and 55 g,preferably between 45 g and 50 g. Further, the density of the weave ofthe body 2 varies between 14/10 cm and 80/10 cm, preferably between15/10 cm and 50/10 cm, preferably between 21/10 cm and 23/10 cm.

The filling valve 6, which may or may not be provided in the packaging1, is made of flat polymer fabric having a grammage varying between 20 gand 150 g, preferably between 40 g and 55 g, preferably between 45 g and53 g, with the density of the weave varying between 14/10 cm and 80/10cm, preferably between 15/10 cm and 50/10 cm, preferably between 17/10cm and 20/10 cm.

Differently to packaging found in the state of the art, the cover 5 forclosing the end portions 3, 4 of the packaging 1 is detachable andpreferably made of flat polymer fabric which, after lamination,comprises grammage over 20 g, preferably over 49 g, varying between 50 gand 200 g, between 60 g and 160 g, between 100 g and 120 g, preferablygrammage varying between 107 g and 112 g. The segment further presentsweave density over 14/10 cm, preferably over 21/10 cm, varying between22/10 cm and 40/10 cm, preferably density varying between 30/10 cm and35/10 cm.

It is important to note that the weave density of the fabric may varyaccording to the closure of the weave strands. Therefore, as an example,it is noted that for strands comprising 5 millimeters in width, theweave of the fabric will have a density of 20/10 cm for a closure of100%, that is, every 10 centimeters there will be placed 20 strands of 5millimeters, such that the 10 centimeters will be fully filled,resulting in a closure of 100%. In another example, for strands of 5millimeters in width, there may be a density of 18/10 cm, meaning thatthe closure of the weave will be 90%, such that the weave will not befully filled, there being empty spaces between the strands. It isimportant to note that although the closure of the weave may be equal toor less than 100%, preferably, but not compulsorily, the closure is over100%, such that the strands overlap, reaching closure values of up to200%, 300%, 400%, 500%, 1000%, or even 1500%, according to the need andadjustments in the process.

Therefore, the detachable cover 5 of the present invention a polymericfabric with closure between 60% and 1500% of the weave, which may varybetween 60% and 500%, between 60% and 350%, between 80% and 200%,preferably being over 100%. Accordingly, the detachable cover 5comprises a fabric weave with overlapping strands, such that the cover 5is more pounded, resulting in a harder and more robust material.

Furthermore, the closure of the weave of the fabrics for making the body2 and the filling valve 6 comprises percentages between 60% and 1500%.

As an illustration, tests were carried out to read the withdrawalstrength of the detachable cover so that the packaging withstands dropsof three heights. Preferably, but not compulsorily, the minimum strengthrequired for withdrawal of the detachable cover was 2.5 kgf, so as toguarantee the resistance to breakage of the packaging. The drop testswere carried out on sacks loaded with 50 kg and subjected to drops of 2meters, 2.5 meters and 3 meters in height in lying position. All thesacks with the result of 2.5 kgf in the withdrawal test of thedetachable cover withstood the three drops, in the three specifiedheights, that is, the packaging did not break with the impact from thedrop. Other values may be achieved in accordance with the need andadjustment of the process.

Therefore, the present invention presents a bag or sack-like packaging1, made of polymer material, comprising a detachable cover 5 whichguarantees the resistance of fixing required for safe transport andhandling of the loaded packaging, withstanding drops without breakage ofthe packaging, at the same time in which it enables the opening of thepackaging for future reuse.

Having described one example of a preferred embodiment, it should beunderstood that the scope of the present invention encompasses otherpossible variations, being limited solely by the content of theaccompanying claims, potential equivalents being included therein.

1-13. (canceled)
 14. Bag or sack-like packaging, comprising: a bodycomposed of a polymer fabric or of non-fabric type material composed ofany type or mixture of fibers, defining: (i) a first end portion thatforms a first surface; and (ii) a second end portion opposite the firstend portion, that forms a second surface; the packaging comprising atleast a substantially flat detachable cover made of polymer fabricdefining a third surface, the detachable cover being associated to atleast one of the end portions by contact of the third surface with thefirst and/or second surfaces.
 15. The bag or sack-like packagingaccording to claim 14, wherein the material which makes up thedetachable cover comprises grammage and density different from agrammage and density, respectively, of the body material.
 16. The bag orsack-like packaging according to claim 14, wherein the body comprises agrammage of over 48 g.
 17. The bag or sack-like packaging according toclaim 14, wherein the laminated detachable cover comprises a grammagebetween 50 g and 200 g.
 18. The bag or sack-like packaging according toclaim 14, wherein the laminated detachable cover comprises a closurepercentage of the weave between 60% and 1500%.
 19. The bag or sack-likepackaging according to claim 14, wherein the laminated detachable covercomprises a closure percentage of the weave between 80% and 200%. 20.The bag or sack-like packaging according to claim 14, wherein thedetachable cover comprises a greater size than the size of the endportions, defining a projection on one or more sides of the detachablecover.
 21. The bag or sack-like packaging according to claim 14, whereinthe detachable cover is associated to the end portions by an adhesive.22. The bag or sack-like packaging according to claim 14, wherein agrammage and density of the detachable cover is higher than that of agrammage and density, respectively, of the body material.
 23. The bag orsack-like packaging according to claim 14, wherein the detachable coverextends along the entire closing fold of the end portions.
 24. The bagor sack-like packaging according to claim 14, wherein a minimum strengthfor withdrawal of the detachable cover is 2.5 kgf.
 25. The bag orsack-like packaging according to claim 24, wherein the packaging isconfigured to withstand drop tests of 2 meters, 2.5 meters and 3 metersin height in lying position.
 26. The bag or sack-like packagingaccording to claim 25, wherein the packaging is configured as a sackloaded with 50 kg.